Trouble in Texas
by HJB
Summary: A murder investigation leads Harm and Mac into the hands of people who would do anything to get information that the pair doesn't have. (mid season nine)
1. Default Chapter

Title: Trouble in Texas  
Rating:T Classification: H/M & M/W (sorta)  
Summary:A murder investigation leads Harm and Mac into the hands of people who would do anything to get information that the pair doesn't have. (mid season nine)  
Disclaimer: I don't own JAG or its characters. I don't stand to gain anything by posting this story. AN: This is the first time I've ever posted here, so bear with me if I mess up posting or something.

Part 1

El Paso, Texas

The sun was relentless as the military vehicle kicked up dirt, along an empty stretch of road, in the middle of nowhere. I squirmed around once more in my seat to find a more comfortable position and checked for the fifth time to confirm that the AC was, in fact, turned up all the way. Despite the car's best efforts, sweat still trickled down my back and my mood soured with every passing minute. It didn't help that Mac had about as much appreciation for me, at the moment, as a dog had for fleas.

We'd been sent to Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas, to investigate the mysterious death of John Stoke, an Army Captain. Normally it wouldn't have warranted both Mac and I or either of us, for that matter. But the sailor was related to one of the SecNav's political friends, so we got the job.

Stoke had been found on a park bench, badly beaten. At first glance, it appeared that the beating caused his death, but I played a hunch and asked the coroner to do a more thorough look into the blood work. My hunch paid off because before leaving the base, I got word that something strange and unidentifiable had been found in the Captain's blood stream.

Something in my gut told me that there was more to the case, that it was drug related. Of course, Mac didn't know any of that and that was how it was going to stay, for a while. It's not that I wanted to keep her out of the loop. I just wasn't one hundred percent sure and with the way things had been between us, she'd bite off my head if I lead us on a wild goose chase. Besides that, I've had this strange feeling ever since we arrived, like we were being watched. And if that's the case, she would be better off not knowing.

Ever since I returned from my stint at the CIA, things had been strained between us. I knew she was with Webb and she knew that I knew, but she still took every little chance to rub salt in the wounds. I didn't know how our relationship had deteriorated to the point where we couldn't even be cordial. I tried to let things roll of my back, but sometimes I just couldn't help but jab right back. When the Admiral handed us this assignment, I could tell she was less than thrilled. I, on the other hand, thought it might be an opportunity for us to gain back some semblance of what we were before. But once again, my hopes were dashed. Things were cold and professional. She had only been in the same room with me as long as was necessary.

Her plan to avoid me was foiled when we found out that our next witness lived in the middle of the desert, over an hour away. We'd been on the road for 63 minutes when Mac first complained. We were now going on hour two and I was sure more complaining would be involved.

"Harm we're lost."

Right on time.

"We're not lost Mac. It's just taking a little longer to get there that we had planned on."

At that, she rolled her eyes.

"Two hours and five minutes is not a little longer. We should be there and back by now."

That's exaggerated.

"So the guys at the base were wrong with the time, it wouldn't be the first time."

"If we're not lost, then tell me what the name of this road is."

She had me cornered. I searched my peripheral vision for any signs, but none were in sight.

"You don't know do you? I knew we were lost."

"Mac, I'm sure we'll find it eventually. We've got plenty of time and he's our only witness for the day."

The minute the words were out, the car sputtered and smoke spewed form the hood. I let out silent curses under my breath and eased the car to the shoulder of the road. Mac didn't even have to say anything. I knew she was rolling her eyes and biting back a comment.

When the car came to a complete stop, I put it in park and turned off the engine. Sighing, I finally sent a glance toward Mac. I steeled myself for the attack I knew was going to come.

"Well this is just great Commander. I thought we had plenty of time."

For some reason, I decided that that would be a good time to joke.

"We do have plenty of time, but now we'll just have to walk there."

The slightly sarcastic tone in my voice only served to agitate her more.

"There is no way I'm walking through this god forsaken desert."

Ignoring her comment, I bent down and pulled the handle to pop the trunk. I pushed the door open and extricated myself from the car. As I was making my way to the front of the car, Mac questioned me.

"What are you doing?"

I stopped for a second and glanced at her through the windshield.

"I'm going to see what's wrong with the car. Is that ok with you?"

I knew I shouldn't have, but I couldn't keep the sarcastic retort from coming out. When I popped the trunk, smoke came billowing out, into my face, and I couldn't help but cough. Waving my hand in front of my face, I attempted to disperse the smoke, so that I could actually see the inner workings of the car. Just as I leaned in for a better look, I heard the car door open and slam shut again.

I heard a few heel clicks and she was standing in front of me, but the hood obstructed my view so I couldn't tell what she wanted. There was a sudden downward movement of the car and I could only guess that she had perched herself on the car's frame. Deciding to ignore her for the moment, I searched the car for any signs of what caused our situation.

Mac sighed.

" Well?"

I peaked my head up over the hood to see her sitting there, with her arms folded across her chest.

"Well what?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"Don't know yet," I said, before I returned to my investigation.

She sighed again to let me know how upset she was. It's not like I planned it or anything, but, in her eyes, I might as well have. My frustration grew and I became careless in my inspection. When I saw something that looked odd, I reached out to touch it, forgetting that the parts were scorching hot. The second my fingers touched it, I felt like I had just stuck my hand into lava. I pulled my hand back and gripped the area around the burn with my other hand, hoping to cut off some of the circulation and dull the pain.

"Oww….god damn it."

My cry of pain bought Mac to my side.

"What'd you do now?"

She still looked perturbed, until she glanced down at where I was holding my hand in pain. Concern flittered across her face as she took a step closer to me.

"What happened?" Her tone was significantly less hostile.

"Forgot how hot a car's engine can get."

I tried to say it jokingly, but she saw through it and could tell that it hurt.

"Let me go see if there's anything in the car to help."

"Ok Mac. Thanks."

She nodded at me and retreated inside the car. She came back a minute later with a bottle of ice water.

"Sorry, this is all that was of any use. I guess they didn't think to stock these things with first aid kits."

"That's ok, but only a little. I want to save most of it for drinking."

I put my hand out and she stepped into my personal space. She took my hand in hers and I held back a gasp at the electricity it sent through me. Despite how she ripped my heart out in Paraguay and that she was dating Webb, I still had some very strong feeling for her. I wished that she felt the same or at least a little less contemptuous. I was brought out of my reflection when she poured the icy water over my burned flesh. She had put her thumb over the top of the bottle to better control the flow of water so that it wouldn't be wasted. She stopped when the bottle was a little more than half full. She managed to put the cap back on it and set it on the car without letting go of my hand. Pulling herself back up, she took a closer look at my hand, her head bent over.

"It doesn't look too serious, but I definitely think it will blister."

"Yeah," was the only reply I could get out. Looking down at the top of her head and feeling her hand on mine, It was all I could do to stay upright. She lifted her head, her eyes meeting mine and we froze. I held her gaze as the heat between us rose. I moved my head closer, having every intention to get caught up in the moment and capture her lips. She hadn't moved, but her eyes invited the kiss. I was about to seal the deal when the holder on the hood gave way and it slammed shut, sending sounds echoing throughout the arid desert.

Surprised, I pulled my head back and she blinked rapidly, glancing at the car. When she turned back to me, I could tell the moment was gone and the tension was back. She dropped my hand, angry with herself for almost letting things get out of control. The shield was back up, as was her anger. She picked up the bottle off the ground where it had fallen when the hood came crashing down.

While Mac was putting the water away and getting some distance, I reopened the hood and peered inside to find the problem. Careful not to hit my fingers against anything, I located it. I was shutting the hood when Mac came back.

"Find the problem?"

"Yeah. Two of the hoses have rips in them and they failed to cool the engine so it overheated. I think it's useless now."

"So what are we going to do now?"

"We could try calling for help," I said, suddenly remembering the cell phones.

"I already tried. There's no signal."

Damn.

"I guess we're going to have to walk until we hit civilization."

"If you think I'm walking miles in these shoes, not the mention the heat, then you're less sane than I thought."

We were back to snippy comments.

"You don't have an extra pair?" I said, trying to keep things reasonable.

"No I don't. This was suppose to be a quick trip."

I overlooked her pettiness at throwing my own comment back at me.

"I guess I could leave you here and find the town myself, but I don't like the idea of splitting up."

She bristled at the mere implication that she might need protection.

"I can certainly take care of myself Commander. And if for some reason I couldn't, I wouldn't need your help."

She just didn't understand. I knew she could take care of herself, but there was a lot more to the case than she thought. It was turning out to be even more complicated than I thought. I couldn't ignore the thought that nagged in the back of my head. The thought that the malfunctioning car wasn't so accidental. The base mechanics usually checked the vehicles before officers took them out. They might have just missed it, but I wouldn't have bet on it.

"I know you can, Colonel. I think it would be better for both of us to stick together. I could just as easily get lost out there or attacked by some wild animal and it would be good to have backup."

It was a bald faced lie. I didn't want her anywhere near me if I was attacked by a wild animal. I just hoped she wouldn't see through it. She seemed too blinded by her frustration at me to notice.

"It looks like we won't have to worry about that Commander."

"Why?" I asked, confused.

She lifted her hand up and pointed off into the distance. I squinted my eyes against the sun, but still didn't see anything.

"Obviously you're eyesight is better than mine because I don't see anything."

"It's a car. We can flag it down and get a ride to the nearest town."

I looked again and sure enough there was a car way off in the distance. It would take a few minutes for it to reach us. Mac gathered up her things, while I continued to stare in the direction of the car. The closer it got, the more apprehensive I got. To say the car was old and beat up was an under statement. It looked to be one of the primitive SUV's. It was off white with black trim. The four doors and square frame were a great departure from the sleek models of today. If I had to guess, I would have said it was at least fifteen years old.

"Mac I think we should just take our chances," I said, as she stopped beside me.

"Don't be foolish. This is the best chance we have."

She held out my briefcase and I took it, my eyes still fixated on the approaching car. Mac walked closer to the road and began to wave her arms in an attempt to catch the attention of the driver. Once she realized the car was slowing down, she stopped. I walked up behind her and was finally able to get a good look at the driver. It didn't ease my worry. He looked to be about my height, but it was hard to tell when he was sitting down. His muscles bulged out from under his tight red t-shirt, with blue jeans and a baseball cap completing the outfit. He had a grizzly scar running down his forearm and a slight beard the made him look older, but he had to be a few years younger than me. My gut was telling me this guy wasn't good news. I didn't' want me or Mac going anywhere with him.

"I really don't think this is a good idea."

Her eyes snapped to my face, as if trying to burn a hole through my head.

"He looks perfectly safe Commander."

By then the car had stopped and was even with Mac and I.

"Having some car trouble?" He asked.

"Yeah. It overheated and broke down. You think you could give us a ride to the next town?" Mac replied, turning on the charm. I got so disgusted that I almost forgot that I was trying to talk her out of it.

"Absolutely, hop in."

The driver seemed almost too eager to give us a lift. Mac moved to get in the car, but I grabbed her arm. She whirled on me, with question in her eyes.

"Mac…," I said, trying to convince her.

"I'm going with or without you. Make up your mind or walk to the next town."

Not wanting her to go alone and knowing she would, I acquiesced.

"Fine, but I call the front seat. There's more room." I wanted her as far away from the guy as possible.

"Fine."

She squirmed out of my grasp and got in the back. I sighed and opened the front passenger side door. Once we were both inside, Mac offered her appreciation.

"No problem. I'm just glad I took the route I did. Almost no one travels on this road."

"So we noticed," Mac said, rolling her eyes in my direction.

"Come to think of it, no one really comes around this area at all. What are you guys doing here? You're military right?"

I was determined to keep quiet so Mac responded.

"Yes we are. Commander Rabb is in the Navy and I'm in the Marine Corps. My names Sarah."

"Nice to meet you Sarah, Commander Rabb. I'm Mark."

I almost gagged at the look he gave her and she just smiled.

"So what are you all doing out here?" he repeated.

"We were coming out to take testimony from a witness. We came from D.C. to investigate."

"Yeah? What happened?"

"Someone was murdered," I cut in. I didn't want the guy knowing anymore than he had to.

Mac shot me a look for my rude tone, but I didn't care.

"Oh."

He got the hint and stopped that line of questioning. I turned my attention to the scenery outside, while he and Mac carried on conversation.

"D.C. huh? I've never been there. What's it like?"

"It's pretty nice, but the winters are a bear to handle."

"I can't event imagine. The coldest weather I've ever been in was twenty degrees once when I went skiing and that was only for a week."

"It gets pretty nippy, but the sites and the atmosphere make up for it."

"I'll bet."

"So what do you do Mark?"

"Me? Umm…well," he stuttered a little and my ears immediately perked up. If this guys couldn't even remember his job than he's not who he claims.

"Usually when I meet a beautiful woman like you I tell them something exciting. But the truth is that I'm a mail man."

What a load of dribble, but of course Mac ate it up. I was pretty sure she was just trying to get under my skin.

"Well there's nothing wrong with that. Without the mail, the country would self destruct."

They both laughed, but I found the joke far from funny. I completely tuned out the rest of their conversation. About a half an hour later, I saw a town up ahead. I sat up in my seat, looking forward to getting out of the car and home. But when we passed all of the entrances to the small town, I turned on Mark, interrupting his and Mac's conversation.

"Why didn't you stop?"

"Oh, you don't want to stop at that rinky dink town. I don't even think they have a phone that can call anyone outside the town."

It didn't make sense to me. Something was going on.

"I'm sure they had a repair station or a car we could rent to get back to base."

"There's bigger town about fifteen miles up ahead. They have all of that stuff and a working phone."

My anger and frustration increased, not to mention the warning bells going off in my head.

"I think you should just turn around and take us back to that town."

"Harm," Mac warned. I knew she thought I was being rude, but I had a bad feeling. Who knows where the guys was going to take us.

"No Mac. It would be better if we just got help in that town."

"Commander it's really not that far."

"I have to insist Mark."

"We'll I'm going to have to say no Mr. Rabb."

I turned to tell him again, but froze when I saw a gun in his hand, pointing at me.

tbc...


	2. 2

Part Two

"I knew there was something fishy going on," I said, trying to keep the anger out of my voice.

Mac couldn't see the gun from where she was sitting, so a confused look knitted her brow. She scooted over to see what was going on and visibly paled when she caught sight of the weapon.

"Mark what's going on?"

"Isn't it obvious Mac? He's no mailman."

She ignored my comment.

"We're no threat to you," she said.

"No, but you're a threat to my employers and they take care of threats."

Mac looked at me confused, but I had a pretty good idea what he was talking about. Stoke must have been involved in some heavy drug trafficking and his employers had him killed for some reason. Maybe he was going to sell them out or maybe he stole something from them.

"Ok Mr. Rabb, you're going to open the glove compartment and pull out the two pairs of handcuffs. If either of you try anything I'll shoot you in a second."

I inwardly groaned and bent over to retrieve the cuffs. When I had them both, I looked at him for further instructions.

"Give them both to Sarah."

I complied.

"Now pull up the headrest behind you."

Once I did that he spoke again.

"Sarah, I want you to handcuff him. One hand on each side of the right metal support."

I had to lifted my arms up over my head, as if I were going to work on my triceps with free weights. Mac took the first pair of cuffs and secured my wrists. They weren't so loose that I could get out of them, but they were loose enough so that I was as comfortable as a person wearing handcuffs could be. Mark noticed that fact.

"Now don't play games Sarah. Make the cuffs tighter."

She begrudgingly complied. She reached up tightened both sides, until Mark told her to stop. They were extremely tight and cutting into my skin. I couldn't see them, but I suspected my hands were already turning purple, they felt colder. They must have been because Mac pleaded with him.

"I think they're too tight Mark," she said, asking him to let her loosen them.

"Well I don't. I want you to put one link around the hand hold on the door and the other around your right wrist."

She did as he said. I awkwardly rolled towards they window so I could see her face, praying Mark wouldn't shoot.

"It's going to be ok Mac, I promise. Don't worry," I said, in a very soft and reassuring voice. She looked at me skeptically, but nodded in affirmation. I wanted this guy to concentrate on me. I want him to see her as weak and unknowledgeable so that whatever he and his employers did, they did it to me. I rolled back to a slightly more comfortable position.

Mark had become more at ease with both of us handcuffed. He lowered the gun to his lap and focused more on driving, but his hand was still clasped around the gun, ready to fire if necessary. Seeing that he was looking straight ahead, Mac took a moment to squeeze my hands with her free one. My hands were so numb that I barely felt it, but I knew it was her way of saying she trusted me and that we were in it together.

After another hour on the road, the sun was setting and my arms were in agony. My hands were completely void of feeling and the muscles in my upper arms had long since grown tired. I spent the last hour trying to figure out how Capt. Stoke and Mac and I fit in to everything. I concluded that Stoke must have been using military resources or something like that to help Mark's employers move the drugs or figure out where they'd be. That's the most likely reason that they'd need someone in the military. They had probably been using his military status to help move the stock back and forth across the border to Mexico. Stoke must have double crossed them and that's why they killed him.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed the side road we'd turned onto a while back. We were coming up on some kind of old complex. There were about eight buildings, some big and some small, on about two to three acres of land. It was one building next to another and they formed a square. Whatever went on beyond the front buildings, in the center square, was nearly impossible to see from outside. Most of the buildings were old and wooden, but there were about three that looked more modern and were made out of stone. Those were the larger buildings. Two or three looked to be houses of some sort. The fronts of the buildings were all facing outward. I glanced around and realized that the complex was nearly impossible to see from that main road, which was about a mile away. A large manmade hill was on the main road's side and the other side had nothing going on for miles. I recognized an old wind mill and concluded that it must have been a farm or cattle ranch at one time. Now it was probably the base for their drug operations.

Mark pulled the car alongside one of the stone buildings, put it in park, and turned the car off. He opened the door and got out. Sticking his head back in, he pointed the gun in our direction.

"Don't try anything. I'm coming right back with some help."

He closed the door and walked up to the entrance of the building. He talked into what appeared to be an intercom. No more than a minute later two other men came out. Mark walked over and opened my door, making sure I could see the two guys holding guns. He reached over and uncuffed my left hand, giving it a bit of relief. I knew it would hurt like hell when the circulation came back, but I didn't have time to think about it because he pulled me out of the car and into a standing position. He proceeded to pull my right hand overtop my head and yanked the left one behind my back, like a kid trying to see if his fingers could touch. He recuffed the left hand tightly and I couldn't hold back a groan. That was definitely not what I needed. The position was both agonizingly painful and mildly embarrassing.

Mark let the gun wielding guards watch me while he retrieved Mac. Thankfully, he didn't give her the same treatment that they had afforded me. Her hands were simply cuffed behind her back. It was getting pretty dark out, but I didn't think any outside lights would come on. Those people didn't want to draw any more attention than absolutely necessary. I started thinking about a way to get out if it got dark enough, but the guards turned on some flashlights and we were led inside.

It appeared to be an office or housing building. I doubted that they would let us see the real things that went on. Mac and I were led, at gunpoint, into a fourteen foot by fourteen foot office. I was not so nicely forced into a chair, while Mac was allowed to sit down willingly. I was glad that they were taking the more aggressive approach with me. It was better that way, Mac had no idea what this was about and I did, well sort of.

A distinguished but wicked looking man walked in the room. He sat down at the desk and looked us over.

"Well Commander Rabb, Colonel Mackenzie, I'm sure you know why you're here."

Mac looked like she was about to respond with a negative, but I couldn't let her. If they thought she knew absolutely nothing they might just get rid of her.

"If you let us go now, you'll only be charged with abduction."

I knew he wouldn't take it, but it was best to get him upset with me.

"If you tell me what you know, I might go easier on you."

"No one's telling you anything," I said, trying to inflect as much sarcasm as possible into my voice.

"That's what you think Mr. Rabb. I always get what I want, we'll just see how long it takes before you crack," he leered.

"Hart, Sloan, Tapp, take these two to their room and make sure Mr. Rabb is especially comfortable," he ordered.

"Yes sir," they replied.

The taller guard motioned with his gun for Mac to get up. She complied and started out. Mark and the other guard dragged me up by the arms and I had to bite back a groan at the pain it caused. They kept their hold on me, until we reached the entrance to what I assumed was our room. Mac went in first and the guards proceeded to toss me in. I landed hard and saw stars. While I was lying on the floor, I had a chance to glance around the room and it made my stomach roll. There was a mattress on the floor, with a few blankets on top, and a barred window that I could only guess had a view of the courtyard. Besides the mattress, there was nothing else in the room. They didn't want anything that could help someone escape. But that wasn't what worried me. The far wall, by the window contained several circular hooks with old fashion styled chain link cuffs. The ceiling also had cuffs hanging from it, but they looked like the ones that could be lowered or raised to different heights. I got the feeling that they were experts at getting the information that they wanted.

My inspection of the room was interrupted when I realized that the guards had followed us into the room and were talking to me. Trying to clear my head, I watched Mark's lips move, but couldn't understand him.

"Hands or feet?"

"Huh?"

I still didn't understand and he got frustrated, kicking me several times in the stomach. I had the wind knocked out of me for a second and I heard Mac trying to come to my aid, but they restrained her.

"Do you want it on the hands or the feet?" he repeated, agitated.

"What do you mean?"

"Feet it is," he said, tired of waiting for me to choose. Mark motioned to one of the guards. He went over to the wall and unlocked what looked to be some kind of crank. He gave it a few turns and the chains on the ceiling began to move down. When the cuffs had nearly reached the ground, Mark roughly took each foot and secured a cuff tightly around the ankle. He nodded to the guard by the crank, who proceeded to turn the handle the opposite way. I found myself being pulled off the ground upside down. He stopped cranking when my head was about three feet above the ground. For some reason it registered in my mind that the ceiling had to be ten feet high. That thought was quickly washed away as I felt the pressure on my ankles and the blood rushing to my head. The guard then locked the crank and stood beside Mark.

"I hope you enjoy your stay here Commander. I know I will," Mark said, with a smug grin on his face. I would have punched him, but my hands were still cuffed awkwardly behind my back. He gave me one more hard punch to the stomach and began to walk out of the room, followed by the other guards. Seeing that they were leaving, Mac, whose handcuffs had been taken off, went into action.

"You can't just leave him like that. He could die."

"Don't worry Colonel. We'll be back before then," Mark said, closing the door, leaving us in darkness. A second later, a dim light in the ceiling flickered on. I speculated that one of the guards had flipped a switch in the hallway. At least I didn't have to hang there in the dark.

Mac turned away from the door, concern written on her face. I guessed that she wasn't mad at me anymore.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"Am I ok? You're the one hanging from the ceiling upside down, with your hands locked behind your back and you're asking me if I'm ok?" she ranted.

"Well I wanted to make sure those bastards didn't touch or hurt you."

"Well I'm fine. You, the great Harmon Rabb, managed to save and protect me once again," she spewed contemptuously.

I almost physically recoiled at her statement. I guessed that maybe she was still mad at me. But my god, I'd taken a beating and was hung up to keep those Neanderthals off of her and she was going to yell at me. That hurt. She must have realized the effect it had on me because she exasperatedly ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm sorry Harm. That was out of line and you didn't need it. I really am grateful. I just can't believe we're in this situation."

I realized the parallels our predicament must have had to her mission in Paraguay only months ago. Obviously she carried more feeling for Webb than me, but it still must have been wearing on her.

"It's ok Mac, we'll get out of it. We always seem to," I struggled to get out. The blood rushing to my head was making it difficult to talk and my vision blurred. She must have realized that because she bent down and put a soothing hand on my face.

"It's ok Harm. Don't try to talk, just concentrate on breathing."

I mumbled an affirmative and she stood up, going over to sit on the mattress.

"How long we been here?" I squeaked out.

"Half an hour, now stop talking," she scolded.

Only a half an hour and I felt ready to explode. I didn't know how much longer I could last. My question was answered an hour later when I faded into the darkness that beckoned me.

tbc...


	3. 3

Part Three

I was pulled back to reality sometime later when Mark and the guards entered the room. Mac was asleep on the bed, but popped up when they entered. The taller guard pointed his gun at her to make sure she stayed over there. The other one unlocked the crank, while Mark stood in front of me. He nodded his head to the other guard who pushed something on the crank that must have eliminated the resistance, because I went crashing to the floor. I was aware enough to bend my body so that my head didn't take a direct hit, but it still hurt and I let out a yelp. Mark undid the bindings on my ankles and the other guard pulled the chains back up.

"Looks like you couldn't even handle a little suspension Rabb," Mark taunted.

"I doubt you'd have lasted five minutes," I taunted back. That was the wrong thing to do. Mark saw red. He bent down, picked up my head, and smashed it back down to the floor.

"I'd be careful if I were you Commander. I get you all to myself tomorrow and it is definitely going to be fun, for me at least."

My head whirled at the implication. I didn't know what in the world I had stumbled on to. I figured they would knock me around a bit and probably shoot me up with some drug concoction, since they were in that line of work. But from what little I had seen so far, they had unlimited means to get what they wanted from me. There was going to be some pretty gruesome and barbaric things going on, I only hoped that my body could take it, for my sake and Mac's.

The guard at the crank walked up behind me and I tried to prepare myself for whatever was about to come. I closed my eyes and my body tensed, but the attack never came. Instead, he reached down and released my hands from the uncomfortable prison they had been in since we had arrived. The circulation was restored and it felt like little bombs were going off inside my arms. The pain was intense.

"Uhhh….," I moaned, not being able to stop the sound from coming out.

"Geez Rabb. I thought you had to be tough to be in the military."

He squatted down in front of me and brought his face close to mine. His eyes were dark and full of tightly contained rage.

"This is only the beginning Rabb. And once the boss gets the information he wants, I can really go to town on you. I hope you believe in some kind of god, because you're going to need him."

"Go to hell." I couldn't have stopped the comment even if I wanted to. I saw his eyes widen in anger, but he tempered it. A glean then appeared in his eyes, along with a smug grin on his face. I was really starting to despise the guy.

"I'd love to, but your appointment is scheduled much sooner than mine."

Tired of small talk and intimidation, he stood back up. Without warning, he grabbed me by the hair and dragged me to the wall by the window. Letting go of my head, he took, from the guard, the handcuffs that I had only been released from just a minute before. He weaved them through a big circular metal hoop in the floor that I hadn't noticed. Pulling both my arms to the left, he locked the restraints in place so that when I was sitting, with my back against the wall, I was forced to lean over and put strain on my back. When he was done, he stood up and walked out into the hallway. I wondered what he was doing. He came back in with a longer pair of cuffs in his hand. From the weird mechanism in the center, the length looked to be adjustable. He once again knelt down beside me. He connected one end of the cuffs to a loop in the wall on my right hand side and the other went across my stomach and was attached to another loop on the left. He proceeded to fiddle with the settings on the mechanism and the restraints began to tighten around my stomach, pulling me flush against the wall.

The cuffs were pulled so tight that it made it difficult to breathe. He looked at my face and I could tell he knew too, but he didn't care. I guessed that he wanted me to stay in that uncomfortable position all night. He didn't want me to be able to lie down or rest. Pulling a key out of his pocket, he inserted it into the proper hole and turned it two times. It must have prevented the restraints from being tightened or loosened any more.

"Sleep well. I'll see you bright and early in the morning," he said, patting my face hard with his hand. I moved my head out of his way; he just smiled and got up. Motioning to the two other guards, they began to retreat from the room. Just as Mark was about to cross the threshold into the hallway, he turned back towards where Mac was standing.

"If you try to help him get out of his bindings, I'll know and I'll come back here and restrain you, like I did to him," he warned. Mac nodded her acceptance of his terms. Mark reached his arm out for the doorknob and pulled the door shut loudly. I heard a key rattling and the door was locked. Mac and I were left alone once again.

Seemingly just brought out of a trance, Mac walked over to me and sat down on the floor, her legs crisscross applesauce.

"How you doing?"

"I've definitely been better." There was no real emotion to my voice. I was too busy concentrating on taking short breaths. I noticed her eyes roaming up and down my body and could tell she was upset about the situation I was in.

"Why do you keep egging him on? Are you asking for more trouble?"

The answer to that was yes, but I didn't tell her that.

"I don't think I have to ask." I tried to say it jokingly.

"Jesus Christ Harm. Just keep your mouth shut," she practically yelled.

"It not you're problem Mac. I'll deal with it."

"It is my problem because it will affect me."

I wasn't really sure what she meant. I presumed that she thought that if I ticked them off too much they would go to her, so I answered accordingly. I didn't want to let her know my intentions because she would give me her marine mantra, but I was too tired and sore to care.

"You don't have to worry Mac. I'll make sure they stay away from you. If it looks like they're going to give up on me and go to you, I'll think of something."

Her eyes flashed and she just looked at me incredulously.

"You just don't get it do you Harm?"

I inwardly groaned. I just didn't need that right then.

"No Mac I guess I don't. I don't get why you've been so hostile to me lately, I don't know when I stopped being your friend, and I don't know why you seem to blame me for this predicament. But you know what, I don't care right now. I'm tired and I just was to stop talking." The long rant had me out of breath.

She looked like she wanted to argue her point, but she saw how fatigued I really was and decided to end it for the time being.

"All right Harm. I'll go lie down, but you can let me know if there's anything I can do." Her tone was somewhat icy, but I knew she meant it.

Mac pulled herself up and slowly walked to the bed. She laid down, her back to me, and pulled a blanket overtop of herself. I sighed and looked up at the ceiling that I had been hanging from no more than a half an hour ago. I wondered if things could get any worse. Mac and I couldn't go five minutes without fighting and I was going to be tortured for information in about eight to ten hours. I think I'd have been able to cope better if Mac and I hadn't been fighting. I didn't want to admit it, but I was scared. No one knew where we were. It was Thursday and the base's CO didn't even expect to hear from us again until Monday at the earliest. We had signed the car out for the remainder of our investigation, so the motor pool definitely wouldn't have missed us. The only real hope was for someone to find our abandoned car, but that was a slim chance. As much as I didn't like Mark, I believed him when he said no one traveled the part of Texas we were in. Hell, we could have been in New Mexico right then and I wouldn't have known.

I let my gaze wander to where Mac was laying a few feet away. Her breathing seemed to be pretty even so I guessed she was asleep. Even though I couldn't see her face, she looked more relaxed. Her shoulders weren't as rigid and tense vibes no longer radiated from her. I shivered a little as the nightly desert cool down took place, along with the air conditioning that was pumping through the building. Shifting to the left, I tried to find a more comfortable position, but it was fruitless. I just closed my eyes and let my fatigue carry me off to dreamland, where I firmly forgot that everything was screwed up in the real world.

I was awoken hours later. But it wasn't due to the rough hands of my captor. The sun was streaming in through the window and noises could be heard in the courtyard. I unconsciously tried to reach up and rub the sleep out of my eyes, but realized that my hands were bound and reality set in. I settled for opening and closing my eyes in an attempt to come fully awake. It was then that I registered something lying on top of me. The pressure was light but warmed me all over. It was a blanket. Mac must have woken up and realized how cool the room had gotten. I was grateful for her consideration. I probably would have woken up five or six times from the cold if she hadn't covered me up. Wanting to thank her, I turned my head towards the corner of the room, but noticed that she was still sleeping. I hoped that she would wake up soon because the temperature was rising and I was stifling under the wool blanket. My eyes roamed up and down her body. Damn she was beautiful. Sometime during the night she had turned over, towards me. The sun canvassed her hair, allowing me to see all the different shades of brown, red, and black. For some reason, it reminded me of a fall afternoon. Her worry free face glistened in the sunlight. A thick strand of hair had fallen down her face, partially covering her nose and mouth, so that every time she exhaled the strand would fly up slightly. My breathing became labored and it wasn't due to the restraint around my stomach. That woman could tie me up in knots even when she wasn't conscious. I wish things had turned out differently, that we could have gotten on the same page.

The increasing temperature in the room pulled my out of my reverie. I waited five more minutes for her to wake up before deciding to take matters into my own hands. I tried to lift my left leg up and kick the blanket off. The movement caused the restraint around my stomach to tighten even more, digging into my tender ribs. I couldn't stop the gasp of pain that escaped my lips. I lifted and kicked again, but the blanket only got tangled around my foot. I let out an almost silent curse at my inability to do that simple task. The noise I made must have woken Mac up, because she shot up in the bed like a gun had gone off. She turned around and stared at me with sleep filled eyes and messy hair. She raised her eyebrows at me, silently asking what in the world I was doing. I tried to shrug my shoulders, but ended up looking more like a shiver. I decided to go with a verbal answer.

"It was getting hot."

She realized what I had been doing and gracefully rolled off the bed, making her way toward me.

"Why didn't you call to me," she asked. She pulled on the blanket and untangled it from around my legs, beginning to fold it right in front of me.

"Didn't want to wake you and I thought I could get it myself."

"Well next time wake me, I don't mind."

I was skeptical about her sudden kinder attitude.

"Ooook." After another second, "what time is it?"

"0920."

She put the last crease in the blanket and went over to set it onto of the mattress. I was surprised that we had slept that long, that those people had let us sleep that long.

"Thanks for thinking to cover me up last night."

"No problem. I woke up and couldn't figure out why until I realized that your teeth were chattering like crazy. I was a little mad at myself for not thinking to do it before I fell asleep," she said with regret and concern in her brown pools.

"It's ok. I didn't think to ask you," I said, meeting her gaze and getting lost at the emotions flowing through them.

The moment was broken by the sound of a key turning. I had suddenly remembered where we were and what that sound meant. It was time. I tore my eyes away from hers and watched the doorknob turn and Mark walked into the room, with his two shadows. The same one as before held his gun to Mac in a silent command.

"Rise and shine Commander, it's going to be a wonderful day," he said in a tone that made me gag.

He came over to me and undid the left side of the restraint around my stomach, giving my battered ribs a reprieve. My hands were uncuffed from the floor and relocked behind my back in what seemed like one swift motion. Mark had definitely done that before.

"Walk," he commanded, yanking me up by my hair. The sudden movement upward made my head spin and I was unsteady on my feet. I tried to take a step, but fell hard on my knees.

Mark got frustrated.

"If you can't walk then we'll just have to drag you," he said, nodding to the shadow not guarding Mac, who produced a eight foot rope out of no where. He came over and stood behind me, putting one end of the rope under my hands, between the metal links of the cuffs and my back. He pulled the end up and back toward him, so one end of the rope was above my hands and the other was below. Making both sides even, he wrapped the rope around his hand, between the thumb and index finger, like an owner would hold a dog's leash. He stood up and started walking forward. My hands were pulled up behind my back as far as they could go and I had no choice but to fall on my stomach. The burly guard didn't even blink, he kept walking and my body began to slide across the floor, my uniform gathering up dirt as we went. It was embarrassing enough as it was, but having Mac watching magnified it tenfold. I think that was their goal. I knew she probably wouldn't see it that way, but I did.

Pretty soon I was pulled out into the hallway and Mark and the other guard followed.

"Have a nice day Colonel," I heard him say to Mac before he shut the door and locked it.

"Let's go Sam," Mark ordered to the guard that was pulling me, who had stopped to wait for his boss. They were off and I was pulled along behind them for a few minutes before they stopped again.

"Think you can walk down the stairs Rabb?"

He didn't even give me time to answer before he spoke again.

"I'll take that as a no. Let's go boys."

Sam, the guard pulling me, went ahead first. He was to about the sixth step down when my body reached the point where more of it was in empty space than was on solid ground. I began to slide down the steps and it was apparent that I was going to fly past the guard. I assumed he would let go of the rope and allow me to tumble the rest of the way. But as I passed him, he didn't let go and both of my shoulders snapped back, dislocating with a sickening sound under the strain. My vision blurred and the pain was unbearable. I let out a blood-curling scream, so surprised by the injury that I was unable stop it. Sam then let go of the rope and I slid ten or so more steps to the bottom, landing in a heap.

Mark, Sam, and the other guard reached me a second later.

"Brilliant Sam, what a way to start off the day," Mark praised. I was still in a daze from the pain. Sam abandoned the rope and picked me up by my belt, carrying me over to a metal table and chair off to the left. He set me down in the chair and my cuffed hands painfully fell against my back. He left me to go talk to the others and I tried to slow down my rapidly beating heart. Sweat had broken out on my forehead from the pain in my shoulders. I had broken bones before, but never anything like that. The suddenness of it all and severe pressure with which they were pulled magnified the pain. It literally felt as if my arms were floating entities beside my body. I told my brain to move them, but nothing noticeable happened. I realized that it must have torn through muscle as well. I leaned my head back slightly and let my gaze wander over my prison.

The space was dark, with only very dim lights in the ceiling illuminating things. I got the feeling that we were underground. Despite the low lighting, I could make out almost the entire space. The room I was in was big and open, at least twenty feet by fifteen feet. Directly in front of me stood a wall that went the length of the building. There were at least six doors that led to rooms containing god only knew what. While glancing to my right, I noticed a few horrifying contraptions and a table full of tools that sent my imagination into overdrive. I had no doubt that they knew how to use them to maximize the pain and mental anguish of the victim. I was going to be that victim. I prayed that I could survive and rejoiced that I didn't have the information they wanted because, if I did have it, there was a good chance they could get it out of me.

tbc...


End file.
